


The Roundtable

by Spazzo47



Category: The Newsroom (US TV)
Genre: F/M, Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-13 04:46:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9107194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spazzo47/pseuds/Spazzo47
Summary: For LilacMermaid's December Fan Fic Challenge -- Change the News or How they Covered It.In January, the Republicans were going to attempt to repeal Obamacare and ACN of course wanted to cover it with their trusty legal correspondent.  But when he got sick, they need to bring in someone else.  This answers the question, why did Wade appear on News Night 5 times or ever?  And how did Will and Mac really feel about it.





	

“Mac, we have a problem”

Mac looked at her senior producer and let out a heavy sigh. It had already been a long day.  Sloan asked to turn an interview with their legal correspondent Joe Silver into a round table discussion about the Republican plan to repeal of Obamacare.  Sloan said that there are not only legal ramifications, but economic and medical ramifications and a round table would be the best way to talk about the potential repeal.  Mac started to agree when Will cut her off and said that he had a plan for the legal piece and Sloan could use her time to talk about the economic ramifications of a repeal.  Then Will looked directly at Mac and gave Sloane 3 extra minutes that Mac now had to take away from… somewhere.  Most days this would not create an issue, but tonight’s episode had a lot in it. 

“What is it Jim?”

“Joe just called in, he can’t make it tonight, he’s on his way to the hospital.”

“Oh, my God!  What’s wrong?”

Jim thought for a second.  “I couldn’t really make it out, but he sounded like he was in a lot of pain.”

Mac shot Jim a look and he shrugged his shoulders.  “Well, who do we have as a backup?”

“I’ve called our rolodex and no one is available.”

“Certainly there’s got to be a lawyer in the tri-state area who wants to get his face on TV.  They’re all publicity whores!  Talk to Will, he might still have some contacts in the prosecutor’s office.”

Jim made a show to scratch his head.  “Wouldn’t that mean he had to have friends?”

Mac shrugged her shoulders, “They’re all politician wanna-be’s there, not a single genuine moment from any of them.  They’re all fake friends with each other.”

“What about Wade?”

“I’m not putting Wade on our air.”

Jim smiled at her, “I wasn’t suggesting he do the interview, Nina Howard would have a field day with that.  But would he have some contacts?”

Mac thought about it and said, “I’ll give him a call see if he knows anyone.  But you should talk to Will as well.”

Jim nodded his head and left. 

Mac sat back in her chair.  Wade had asked to be on ACN before but she said no.  With all the headlines Will had attracted with his dating disasters and the public knowledge of their breakup, bringing Wade in would become more Page 6 fodder.  At least that’s what she told Wade.  That’s when she learned that Wade had no idea about her history with Will and he didn’t like it.  He told her that he didn’t like her spending so much time with her ex.  It blew up into a fight and she couldn’t figure out why she kept defending Will.  She refused to tell Wade that he had nothing to worry about, Will hated her.  She sometimes wondered if she didn’t tell him that because she didn’t want it to be true or because she didn’t think it was.

Why does Will hate her so much?  She thought they were starting to get past some of this, but right after the midterms he started picking fights and second guessing her for no reason.  Mac wondered why she put herself through this; did she become a masochist at some point?  She saw Will’s rise from legal correspondent to news anchor and now she had Wade who sometimes she fantasized could do the same.  Except, he sounded a lot like Will in her imagination.  She wondered if that’s why she picked him, she hoped he was a more perfect, or maybe boring is the right word, version of Will.  Or maybe that’s just her type – egotistical lawyers who need to be loved by the masses.  Either way, she didn’t want to make this phone call.  She would ask him for a list of names, he would say he could come on air, she would have to give him a reason why he can’t without telling him that she wants to spare Will’s feelings, and then wonder why because Will is being a dick. 

She made the call and it went about as well as she expected.  They ended with him saying he’d love to be on her show and even suggested that they could become a great newsroom power couple and asked if she’d like that.  She had to bite her tongue from telling him she had been that and it was the best time of her life.  He also said he would check around the office and see if there was anyone else who could help out.  She knew he wouldn’t.  When she called Jim into her office, he said Will didn’t have any ideas either. 

She called a meeting with all the stringers to get someone to find a lawyer who could help them out.  Tess suggested Wade just as Will walked past.  “I’d love to have him on the show, he can explain how the Justice Department is getting out lawyered by big tobacco.”

“We’re talking about the Obamacare repeal.”

“Is the government getting out lawyered there too?”

Mac signaled him to follow her to her office and closed the door.  “What the hell is your problem?  Is this because I’m in a committed relationship with someone?”

Will gave a disbelieving smile.  “Are you fucking kidding me?   Let me make myself clear, I’m happy that you’re dating and that you found someone who is such a good substitute for me.  And if you want to fucking bring him onto the show, nothing would make me happier.”

“Where the hell did that come from?  He’s not a substitute for you.  He’s nothing fucking like you.”  And that’s actually the problem, but she doesn’t need to say that. 

“Fine, bring him on the show.  You can see a side by side comparison.”  Will stormed out of her office and she followed.

Mac followed him out and yelled down do him, “Because every woman wants to referee a dick measuring contest between two fucking lawyers.”  Changing her voice to show the ridiculousness of the idea, she said, “Well this one has a 94% conviction rating and a nice ass, but the one over there can write a brief in record time.”

“Well at least you can appreciate my ass.”

“You ARE a fucking ass!  God!”

Will slammed his door and Mac got back to her office and slammed hers.  After a couple minutes Sloan walked in. 

“What do you want Sloan?”

“The staff sent me over.  Are you alright?”

“I’ve made a fucking mess of everything again and now I have to bring Wade on the show and humiliate Will because between an entire newsroom of people we can’t find another single fucking lawyer in New York City.”

“Yeah, you kinda did fuck it up.”

Mac exhaled loudly.  “Who pulled the next shortest straw?”

“I mean when you cheated on Will you fucked things up.  But I don’t think you did this time.  Will just needs to put on his big boy pants and realize that if he’s not going to make a move for you, you’re going to move on with someone else.  But next time, try for someone less boring.”

“What do you mean ‘next time’?  Things with Wade could work out.”

Sloan shook her head and held her nose.  “Oh, Kenzie, you could do so much better than him.  Does he even rumple the sheets in bed?”

“OK, Sloan, get out.”

“Love you.”

Mac went out to the bullpen where her stringers were still trying to find a legal correspondent.  “All the good correspondents are on other networks.  We could get a law professor from CUNY.”

Mac started to nod her head when Will walked by.  “Nope, we’re going to use Wade Campbell.”  He turned to Mac to stop her from talking.  “He’s the best choice, he works for the government and has strong knowledge of Obamacare and how a repeal will affect the people.”  He then turned his attention to Sloane who was across the bullpen talking with Don.  “Sloan, I’m going to put you on a panel to talk about Obamacare, okay.”

“Great,” she yelled back. 

“I just figured out how to give her three extra minutes.”  Mac didn’t care that her voice sounded whiny.  What the hell was he doing? 

Will pulled Mac aside.  “Look, I was a jerk, I’m sorry.  Wade is the most qualified person we have to do this”

“What the hell is going on with you, Will.  Is this jealousy or something else?”

“I was out of line.”

Mac looked at him and could tell he was being sincere.  “So you’re really okay with this?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re going to treat him fairly when you have him on the air?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re not going to start a pissing contest with him on air?”

“All bodily fluids will stay contained, unless he’s having an issue.”

Mac considered what he said.  “Okay, but you are not going to take over scheduling what happens on the show.  You can veto what I decide, but you don’t assign time to any story, that stops now.”

Will nodded and left. 

*** *** ***

Wade came into the studio and immediately went to Mac’s office.  Will watched Wade give her an awkward kiss.  No one knew better than Will that at work Mac didn’t want to show any displays of affection.  She needed people to view her as a professional.  He couldn’t read lips, but he assumed that she was telling him to see Jim and visit hair and makeup.  He said something to her and Will smiled, amused that even with the distance and the open blinds he could recognize her fake smile.  Mac would stick with Wade as long as she needed to, but they weren’t going anywhere. 

Will didn’t want to think about why that made him so happy. Yeah, he knew why, but he couldn’t think about it.  Right now she is only thinking about the show, their show, and that’s what he needed to think about as well. 


End file.
